Railway-mail-bag catcher and deliverer



' May 27, 1924.

S. T. PERKEY RAILW'AY MAIL BAC; QATCHER AND DELIVERER Filed April 10 1922 V Patented May 27, 1924.

umreo STATES SAMUEL '1. 'PERKEY, OF GRAHAIVI, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF T'WO-THIRDS v'lO CHARLIE.

PATENT OFFICE,

W. WADE AND-THOMAS L. FELTS, AS JOINT TENANTS, BOTH OF BLJ'UEFIELD," WEST VIRGINIA.

RAILWAY-MAiL-BAG cA'roHnn Ann nnnrvnnnn.

Application filed April 10, 1922. Serial No. 551,186.

To all whom it may GOncern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL T. PnRKnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Graham, in the county of Tazewell and State of Virginia,-l1ave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Mail-Bag Catchers and Deliverers; and L do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains-tomake and use the same.

This invention relates tonew and useful, improvements insrailway mail bag catchers and deliverers and has for its primary object the provision of a car device adapted to deliver to and receive. from a specially con-,

structed crane, a mailbag to obviate any possible chance. ofrthe delivered bag being lost or'destroyed and which. deviceis-so mounted that it' maybe easily and quickly positionedout of the way ofthe mail clerk and to one side ofthe doorway ofthe car when not in use.

Another object of this invention is the provision of means, that permits of the. bag p p rods 9- thereofareadapted to extend through the usual ringslO at the ends of the maildeliveringand catching device to be adjusted into its different positions and also permits ,o-fthe device to be changed from one side of the carvto the other when desired.

A further object of this invention .is the provision of a mail bag catcher and deliverer of the above stated character which will be simple, durable: and efficient. and which may be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low cost. 7

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparentasthe'descripti'on proceeds, the invention consistsof certain novel features ofbohstruction, combi nation and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully. described and claimed. i

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a mail bag catcher and deliverer applied to a fragmentary portion of a railway mail car and operating in conjunction with a crane,

Figure 2 is a detail view of the deliverer and catcher.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates as an entirety a crane for the'purposeof receiving from and delivering to a passing train or mail car a mail bag, andismounted upon a platform 2- arranged next to the track, or, if used in Ico -j unction with a double track system, is positioned between the tracks. A pedestal t is carried by the platform 2 and has rotatably mounted thereon'a vertical standard 4 held agalnst accidental rotation with respectv to the pedestal by means of a locking'lever 5 adapted, to engage any one of a series of teeth 6 on the lower end of the standard,

Upper. and lower mailbag supporting arms 7 and 8 are secured to the vertical standard 4 and extend horizontally therefromand are equipped at their en dsvwith mailbag engag ing rods 9: that extend at right angles to the arms 7 and 8 and also extend on opposite sides of said arms for the purpose of ,sup porting a ma l bag. at either side of the. arms, thereby permitting. thedevice to be.

used'on a single track system where the mail cars or..trains travel in opposite directions on the same track. The arms/7 and Scare positioned invertical alinement, while the bag 11. If the crane is to be used in conjunction with a double track system, the standard 4 may be rotated by releasing the lever 5 from theteethtoposition the bag supporting arms adjacent either of the tracks. An intermediate arm 12 carried by A ,vertlcalsta the doorway of a the car, andhas formed thereon a bearing portion 17 to be engaged by a supporting bar or element 18. The bar or element 18 has attached thereto a mail bag deliverer' and catcher constructed in accordance with my invention and one endof the bar is reduced and bifurcated so that it may be applied to the standard 15 and rest upon the bearing portion 17 The reduced bifurcated end of the bar or element 18 is provided with a removable clip 19 which will permit the bar or element to swing. about the vertical standard ndard 15 is located adjacent and to permit the removal of the bar from the standard when desired. The other end of the bar or element is reduced to form an extension 20 adapted to engage a clip 21. The clip 21 is located at the doorway for the purpose of cooperating with the standard 15 in supporting the element or rod 18 across the doorway while a clip 22 is secured to the side of the car to receive the extension 20 when the deliverer and catcher is positioned in an inoperative position.

The extension 20, when in engagement with the clip 22, causes a positioning of the catcherand deliverer in close proximity to one of the side walls of the car and away from the doorway so that the device will not interfere with the movements of the mail clerks. It is to be understood that a standard 15 and the clips 21 and 22 are applied toeach side of the'car so that the element 18 may be transferred from one side of the car to the other according to the di ection of travel. V

A mail bag supporting arm 23 includes a vertical portion 2 Lwhich is secured to the bar or; element 18 and projects above and belowthe latter and has its upper and'lower portions bent to form-horizontal arms 25 that 1' carry at their outer endsmail bag attaching rods 26 that are disposed horizontally and project beyond opposite sides of the arm portions 25 and are adapted to pass through the rings at the ends of a mail bag and to permit the supporting of a mail bag at either side of the horizontal arm'portions 25 so that the device may be used regardless of which direction the car '16 is traveling. A mail bag when applied to the rods 26' is supported by the arm 23 outside of the car so that it may be caught by the catcher 13 on the crane 1, when the car passes the crane.

A catcher 27 is carried by'the bar or element 18 and comprises an elongated plate 29 having inwardly extending slots or notchesBO in its ends to form forked end portions to the catcher adapted to receive or catch a mail bag supported by the crane and permit the device to be used regardless of which direction the car 16v is traveling. The plate,29 is secured to the outer end of a horizontal arm 31 carried by the bar or element 18 and is arranged in vertical alinement with the horizontal arm portion 25 of the mail bag supporting arm23. The catch er 27 is located in a plane slightly below the plane of the catcher on the craneso that during the passing of the car the catchers will not come in contact with each other K liar, means to secure said bar horizontally,

and at acar. doorway, a vertical support carried by and extending above and below,

the bar, arms extending forwardly from the upper and lower end portions of the support,

catcher rods carried .by the arms and disposed substantially parallel to the bar, areceiving element extending forwardly from the bar intermediate said arms, said arms having a reduced end, a clip detachabl'y engageable by said end through sliding movement, a standard, and the other end of the bar having a clip removably engageable with the standard. v

2. A mail catcher mechanism including a bar, means to secure'said bar. horizontally and at a car doorway, a vertical support carried by and extending above and below the bar, arms extending forwardly from the upper and lower end portions of the'support, catcher rods carried by the arms and disposed substantially parallel to the bar, a receiving element extending forwardly from the bar intermediate said arms, said arms.

being integral with the support, and said receiving element having notches in its, op-

posite ends for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof 'I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

. v SAMUEL T. PERKEY. Witnesses R. Rj RoeERs, R. A. LAMPTON. 

